In a remarkable rescue, a sea turtle named 'Hope' was saved by veterinarians in Florida who used a human endoscope to remove 20 fishing hooks from its stomach. The procedure, typically used for human patients, was adapted for the reptile at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.
The turtle, a juvenile loggerhead, was found stranded on a beach with severe injuries. X-rays revealed the hooks had caused internal damage, and traditional surgery was deemed too risky. Instead, the veterinary team employed a flexible endoscope, a tool normally used for human gastrointestinal procedures, to carefully extract the hooks one by one.
According to the center, the turtle is now recovering and expected to be released back into the wild once fully healed. The incident highlights the growing problem of marine debris and fishing gear harming sea life, with experts urging anglers to properly dispose of fishing lines and hooks.
